But lived in Taiwan for the past 5 years, doing Visa runs.
Now with the virus, I’d like to apply for a Gold Card (I make more than 160K a month).
But I was told that I will have to pay taxes on the income I had in France. I can’t afford to pay my taxes twice, and France only refund 2 years of taxes maximum.
How likely is it that I will be asked to pay my taxes for the past 5 years if I apply for a Gold Card?
I hired a few lawyers and CPAs, and they don’t know.
There seems to be a double taxation agreement in place between Taiwan and France. From that you might be able to deduce that you won’t have to pay taxes in Taiwan if you pay taxes in France and can proof your residency there.
Try talking to a CPA who specifically knows about these double taxation laws.
When you apply for the Gold Card, the government will be able to match entry/exit dates based on your passport and also see the foreign income made that year as part of your application.
During the Gold Card application you’ll provide information about your current and past visas and answer questions like “have you ever worked in Taiwan?”. Past applicants have had their application followed up on based on their responses to those.
Some parts of the Taiwan government don’t often speak to each other, but during the Gold Card application your background will get checked by a minimum of the Immigration Agency and the Workforce Development Agency. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance gains additional rights to review your tax returns if you apply on the basis of your salary.
I believe Residency from the Tax law is different than that of the Immigration law.
If you stay in Taiwan 183 days then you are a tax resident.
Theoretically you can be a resident from an immigration visa standpoint but not a tax resident and vice-versa.
I have a gold card and after my first filing was contacted by the National Taxation Bureau of Taipei, Ministry of Finance and asked to provide additional documentation from my home country and referenced article 8 of the Income Tax Act, the salary derived from the remuneration rendered in Taiwan is subject to taxation in Taiwan even the salary is paid or received abroad, that is overseas employer.
When going through the filing process the Ministry of Finance is able to download the border entry/exit dates, this is regardless if enter on ARC or visa-exempt.
It’s best to visit the tax office to check your status and make sure everything is ok.
Does anyone have a CPA they can recommend that knows about how double taxations laws work? I’m in the same boat as OP so would like to find out how this works
